Today, more than ever, pet owners regard the suste- nance placed in their dog’s
bowl with the same consideration
they give to food served on their
own plates, said Ann Hudson,
vice president of marketing for
Whitebridge Pet Brands, maker of
Cloud Star products, in St. Louis.

“Pet owners recognize the defining role of food and nutrition
in the overall health and wellness
of their pets and are examining
labels and sourced ingredients
carefully,” said Adrian Pettyan,
CEO and founder
of Caru Pet Food in
Vero Beach, Fla.

These savvy
pet owners are demanding holistic,
natural and better-quality foods
for good reason,
said Terry Briecic,
co-owner of Pet
Things in Douglasville, Ga.

“They don’twant to be living attheir veterinarian’soffice and havedecided that petnutrition and theoverall wellness of their animalhas to do with what’s in the foodthey are feeding,” Briecic said.

Medical necessity is an important driver, and dogs that
have developed food allergies
and/or sensitivities, or medical
conditions such as joint issues or
diabetes, might require a special
limited ingredient diet without
any compromise in nutritional quality, said Bette Schubert,
co-founder and senior vice president of sales, new product development and education for Bravo
Pet Foods in Manchester, Conn.

The Promise of PremiumWith more and more products entering the pet food space, retailers helpconsumers discover high-quality diets that stand out from the crowd.

2014 2015 2016

PROGRESSION INPREMIUM PET FOOD

The premium pet food category continues to reinvent itself, taking the concept of
“premium/specialty” even further, said Ann Hudson, vice president of marketing for
Whitebridge Pet Brands, maker of Cloud Star products, in St. Louis.

“Today’s premium pet foods are not only represented by the list of ingredients on
the label, but where those ingredients are sourced, where the manufacturing takes
place, and the care taken during food preparation,” said Joe Perotti, president and
owner of Market Fresh Pet Foods in Arlington Heights, Ill.

“It began with natural preservations, moved into ingredients and ingredient
sourcing (USA), then ingredient production—i.e., non GMO, antibiotic and hormone
free—and now has extended into the concept of minimally processed, meaning diets
that are more reflective of the kinds of foods pet owners would make at home if they
could,” Hudson said.

Ingredient sourcing has changed the premium dog food category dramatically as
commercial-grade companies now are rushing to source local, USA-made and grown
ingredients, as opposed to those sourced in China, said Adrian Pettyan, CEO and
founder of Caru Pet Food in Vero Beach, Fla.

“Customers are demanding non-China sourced ingredients, and if they don’t
recognize, or can’t pronounce or understand an ingredient on a label, they are leaving
it on the shelf,” Pettyan said.

“It has become a very confusing space to say the least,” said Ryan Perdue,founder and general manager of Kings Mountain, N.C.-based Family Owned SpotFarms. “Whether it’s ‘premium’ versus ‘superpremium’ or ‘natural’ versus ‘sciencebased,’ the designations have ultimately become marketing handles that make itincredibly difficult for the average consumer to navigate the pet food aisle.”Further, the “premium” label on a bag of food doesn’t necessarily mean thatthere is quality, wholesome, organic food in the bag, Pettyan said.

For these reasons, honest packaging labels will differentiate truly premium foods
from the crowd, allowing customers to clearly see what they are feeding their pets,
he added.